Summary

Publisher's Weekly Review

Having introduced a friend to the pricey pleasures of book collecting, the GoldstonesÄnovelists and book collectors whose bibliomaniacal exploits were first chronicled in Used and Rare (1998)Ästumble on a copy of the Virginia Woolf-Lytton Strachey letters and find themselves in a polite standoff: "you take it," say the Goldstones; "no, no, you saw it first," says the friend. Seeing an opening, the acquisitive urge wins out over politesse, and the Goldstones, to their friend's chagrin, find themselves "quickly snatching up the book and putting it in our stack." So goes a typically amusing and self-deprecating anecdote in their second collaborative effort. Less of a how-to than Used and Rare, this book is a trove of tart observations for those in the know. In many chapters, the authors begin with an anecdote about visiting a shop, fair or library. Then, filling in the background of a particularly intriguing volume, they fade into an informative digression on Bloomsbury bedroom hopping or the biography of A.S.W. RosenbachÄpossibly the century's most important book dealer. They also investigate the wildly high prices for first editions of recent mysteries, skewer the Edgar Awards, cover a Sotheby's auction and explore the workings of book dealers on the Internet, a medium that they contend could lead to the death of book collecting. But they lighten even this doomsaying by introducing, among other offbeat characters, a disgruntled dealer who claims that B&N is stockpiling used books to drive independent used-book dealers out of business. The Goldstones can rest content that they've done their part to keep their venerable pursuit alive. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Library Journal Review

Again taking a booksellers descriptive catalog term for their title, the Goldstones, both collectors and novelists, follow their earlier work (Used and Rare, LJ 5/1/97) with what is termed a companion work. Their chapters are filled with collecting tips, excerpts from some of their favorite new acquisitions, and thoughts on writers and the love and lore of the bound codex. Their book adventures in this latest work include musings on the amazing William Morris, the Bloomsbury Group, the Hogarth Press, and an afternoon spent browsing through Bram Stokers working notes for Dracula. There is a good overview of the hows and pitfalls of shopping on-line. Throughout, the authors communicate their enjoyment of knowledge gleaned from experienced booksellers and fellow collectors and the excitement of large traditional book fairs as well as lesser-known library sales. This is delightful, quick reading for the beginning or experienced book collector or any bibliophile. Highly recommended as a personal gift, but also a fine selection for public libraries.Joseph Hewgley, Nashville P.L. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

SD_ILS:1016279

9780312205874

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